IndexIntroductionHistoryScientific PerspectiveConclusionIntroductionThe War on Drugs has made multiple attempts to reduce illegal drug use and abuse since the 1970s. Whether through laws or strict requirements, there has been an increase in drug abuse and addiction among young adults in the United States. This, as a result, has caused a history of failures and epidemics with scientific research further demonstrating the consequences of these activities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayHistoryThe beginning of the "War on Drugs" campaign was initiated by President Nixon in June 1971. A History Media Company timeline quotes him as saying that drug abuse is "public enemy number one." But before the war on drugs took the lead, there were previous laws on prescription drugs such as the Control Substance Act. David Musto MD, an American expert on US drug policy and the war on drugs, studies the prehistoric roots of drugs ( opioids) to better understand drug abuse. It clarifies that around 1800 a German scientist named Levinstein discovered the reasoning behind opioid addiction by extracting certain compounds that caused that addiction. And it wasn't until 1970 that President Nixon signed the Control Substance Act requiring the regulation of certain drugs according to the History Media Company's War on Drugs timeline. However, an article in the Journal of Adolescent Health conducted a second-hand analysis on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health that researchers recognize the Control Substance Act of 1970 and listed some opioids that fell into those different classifications under the law look for trends that included: Vicodin, Lortab, oxycodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, etc. However, the problem is that most of these compounds can be found in opioids which may be over the counter or easily accessible as mentioned by the Mayo Clinic who are doctors, scientists and other medical experts who dedicate a portion of their clinical time to the site to provide a unique location/information. The clinic states that “prescription drug abuse or problematic use includes anything from taking a painkiller prescribed by a friend for back pain to snorting or injecting ground pills to get high” (Mayo Clinic). The finding leads to a 2017 report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse looking at the scope of prescription drug abuse in which “approximately 18 million people (more than 6% of those aged 12 and older years) have abused these drugs at least once in the last year”. Statistics and information provided by NIH suggest several factors in this area that may contribute to such statistics such as age, gender, ease of access, etc. However, the factor that stands out the most is the misinformation about the addictive properties of these opioids, believing that they are less harmful than illegal drugs. To further explain this, from a pharmacological point of view, prescription drugs fall into the same drug classes as regular illegal drugs. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, states that "the same general pharmacological factors associated with nonprescription drug abuse and dependence apply to prescription drug abuse" and the key factors that would influence these actions of opioid abuse would be the dose, route of administration, co-administration with other drugs, context and expectations. As stated in the study “Abuseof prescription drugs,” assert Wilson M. Compton's belief or expectation/context from “Prescription Drug Abuse and the Risk of Addiction” that opioids are safer than illegal drugs, which from a pharmacological perspective refutes . This may further demonstrate the opinion of young adults who believe pharmaceuticals are safer with a timetable provided by the FDA (which deals with drug administration) stating in the 2000-2004 section that “by 2009, approximately 1.2 Millions of emergency room visits were related to the misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals, an increase of more than 98 percent since 2004 and higher than the number of emergency room visits linked to the use of illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine ” (FDA). These symptoms may be due to young adults and their possible belief that pharmaceuticals are safer than illegal drugs. Scientific PerspectiveThe misuse of medications can also lead to mental and physical effects on the body due to the effects they have on the brain. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed an informational text to provide evidence/statistics on adolescent opioid abuse and prevention. In 2016, 3.6% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 reported abusing opioids in the past year. This rate is double among older adolescents and young adults aged 18 to 25 (opioids and adolescents). In an article from NIDA there is an easy-to-read text that traces the development/science on drugs for people while recognizing the epidemic of abuse. They present possible reasons for the numbers that may be related to the U.S. Department of Health, which include "feeling good" or "doing better," whether it's stress, work, or feeling euphoric. Addiction to prescription drugs allows these reasons to take a toll on people. With the collaboration of the US Department of Health and NIDA, a research report on prescription drug abuse as a whole and its scientific effects was developed. The findings were that opioids can be legal or illegal like heroin. And this only becomes a problem when hard drugs fall into the same category as legal drugs. For example, drugs like heroin that “share similar chemical structures and bind to the same receptors in the brain” are legal drugs. But to understand why this is problematic, you need to know the process/effect on the brain/body. Opioids can include drugs such as OxyContin and Vicodin. NIDA (a major component of the NIH) explains the scientific process of opioids to the brain/body. These opioids bind to specific proteins called “opioid receptors,” which are found on nerve cells in the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs in the body. NIDA states: “When these drugs bind to their receptors, they reduce the perception of pain and may produce sensations such as well-being or drowsiness.” Further symptoms of the reaction described by American opioid addiction would come from a Center Of Addiction chart that comes from the NIH to indicate the side effects of commonly abused prescription drugs. As a result, it is stated that under OxyContin and other pain medications are "typically chewed, swallowed, snorted, and injected to achieve the sensation of muscle relaxation, twice as powerful an analgesic as morphine." But the side effects are dangerous as the Center Of Addiction states that health risks can include “Slowed or stopped breathing, lowered pulse and blood pressure, tolerance, addiction,.